From Eden Poem Analysis

Much like poetry, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” Music and poetry are two platforms in which artists from the beginning of time have chosen to circulate their ideas, feelings, and opinions. Although different in popularity, these mediums are alike in various ways. Nonetheless, not every song you hear on the radio can be properly analyzed using procedures that you would follow to evaluate poetry. A song has to contain certain literary elements essential to poetry, such as the song “From Eden” by Hozier, in order for it to be analyzed. Hozier is recognized for his sentimental lyrics and use of poetic elements to add musicality and rhythm to his music. Through symbolism, repetition, and
Hozier seamlessly ties in repetition and parallelism to simplify the message he is attempting to communicate. The main part of the song in which the listener can easily detect parallelism is in the third stanza: “No tired sighs, no rolling eyes, no irony/ no ‘who cares’, no vacant stares, no time for me” (7-8). Here, the word “no” is repeated to further emphasize the fact that the artist does not want to have to deal with these signs of hardship in his relationship with this new woman. Another example of repetition is Hozier’s use of the word “babe.” “Babe” is repeated in the song a total of four times. At plain sight it can be seen simply as filler word; however, the placement of the word reveals a deeper reason for its inclusion. Hozier deliberately only uses the word “babe” to start lines in which he says something negative about the relationship. The song begins with, “Babe, there’s something tragic about you” (1). Aforementioned, this line has a negative connotation to it despite beginning with a word of adoration. This creates contradiction in his writing. Another instance in which this is used is in line 13 with, “Babe, there’s something wretched about this,” where the same explanation applies. By following “babe” with these negative descriptions, Hozier
An allusion is an indirect or passing reference to something else that a writer or an artist can take advantage of to portray a new message through someone else’s story. Hozier uses the well-known biblical tale of Adam and Eve to create a familiar medium between the artist and listener. In the song, the singer compares himself to the snake from Eden, the woman he sings about represents Eve, and the other men represent Adam. This is all proven throughout multiple lines in the lyrics, such as, “Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know/ I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door” (11-12). The “innocence died screaming” references Eve losing her innocence once she took a bite from the apple that the snake offered her. In this case, the speaker to the woman’s innocence possibly sexually or romantically. “I slithered here from Eden” means that the singer tempted her to do what she was taught not to do in the past. Also, when Hozier sings “Oh, what a sin,” the idea of a biblical allusion is stressed. These lines bring the rest of the lyrics into context and make a connection that is familiar to the listener to better explain the